XMB dropped for NGP

The xross media bar (XMB) used as the main user interface in the PSP and PS3 will not be used on the upcoming NGP due to a “social networking factor.”

Sony president Shuhei Yoshida revealed to Edge magazine that touch screen controls were a “key reason” for ditching the XMB. “That is indeed one key reason,” he said. “The other fundamental point was our desire to make this device very social network orientated: there are lots of fun games on Facebook, for example.”

“We wanted to integrate the social networking factor, the potential for friends to join in, interact at any moment,” he told Edge. “We wanted the entire screen to be part of that experience.”

“To do so, we thought it was important to let users keep track of their game even when they weren’t playing it – with the LiveArea, for example.”